Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to a dispenser of individual sheet articles.
Devices have been developed for dispensing one at a time various paper sheets, for example, note sheets or promotional materials, such as coupons and rebates. These devices usually comprise some type of container for holding a stack of many sheets. The container typically has an opening or slit through which only the top sheet fits. A person can than easily grasp and remove the single sheet protruding from the container without inadvertently removing one or more other sheets.
These devices ordinarily include a spring element disposed in the container beneath the stack of sheets to urge the sheets toward the opening, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,027,671; 2,253,742; 5,165,570; and 5,363,985. The spring element is designed to support the stack of sheets so that the outermost sheet extends into the opening. The spring also raises the stack as needed after each successive sheets is removed.
The sheets are coupled in such a way that the as the outermost sheet pulls the second outermost sheet into the opening. Typically, the sheets are folded and interleaved with adjacent sheets, such as in a box of tissues. Or in the case of note sheets, the sheets may be adhered to adjacent sheets at alternating edges. This interleaving or adherence requires additional assembly steps for the manufacturer and prevents the end user from refilling the dispenser with non-coupled sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,699 discloses a spring-biased dispenser for non-coupled sheets. The sheets in this case are generally rectangular with one folded over end. This dispenser is designed to be inexpensive for use in retail stores at the point of purchase to dispense coupons. To that end, the container is made of a low-cost pulp and the spring is a plastic sheet flexed about 180 degrees.
While this provides a very effective, yet simple and inexpensive, dispenser, the spring is subject to setting (plastic deformation) in the bended region after prolonged periods of use. Once this occurs, the spring rate can be substantially reduced such that the spring cannot sufficiently support the stack of sheets at the opening in the container.
Accordingly, an improved low-cost dispenser spring is needed.
The invention provides a sheet article dispenser having a housing with a top opening for accessing an outermost sheet article of a stack of generally uniform sheet articles facing the top opening of the housing. Within the housing and beneath the stack of sheets is the spring. The spring includes a thin flexible panel and a band fit around the panel forming an arcuate structure that can be elastically deformed. The spring urges the stack of sheet articles toward the top opening. This allows only the outermost sheet article to be removed one at a time by lifting the folded end and pulling the outermost sheet article through the top opening.
In a preferred form, the spring is a double acting spring. The panel is a thin plastic panel having opposite ends flanking a middle section narrower than the ends. The ends each have a pair of lateral notches at opposite edges. The ends are flexed toward the middle section in the same direction so as to form a structure with an arcuate surface on each side of the middle section that can deform elastically. Preferably, the panel can include pre-formed fold lines at the ends of the middle section for facilitating bending the ends.
The panel can be a plastic and the band can be resilient material, such as rubber or elastic, and preferably, the band is a suitably sized conventional rubber band.
Thus, the invention provides an inexpensive sheet dispenser with a pulp container, a plastic panel and a rubber band. The resilient band increases the spring rate and reduces the occurrence and adverse effect of setting on the spring. Additionally, the occurrence and effect of setting is further reduced because there are two arcuate portions of the panel that provide the spring force and these arcuate portions are flexed only about 90 degrees. Limiting the angle of flex reduces the strain in the bending regions of the material and thereby prolongs the onset of plastic deformation.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention. This embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention. Thus, the claims should be looked to in order to ascertain the scope of the invention.